The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-07-30
WASHINGTON CITY.
what Boss Shepherd Thinks of the City
He Embeiiished-A Reasonable
surprise ina Pardonable Vanity.
Especial to The Item.

! Especial to The Item.
WASHINGTON, July 23.-Boss Shep~
herd is the happiest man in WASH
inston to-day. He comes back to find
the city more beautiful than he had
anticipated in his fight twenty years
ago, when he reconstructed it under a
fearful fire OF opposition. Better than
that, he comes to find himself congsa-
tuiated and honored everywhere by
the people Of the city who now see in
him. the genius which made Wash>
ington the beautiful city that it now
is.
Sheppard himself says of it: '.lf l
had been dropped down from the
clouds for the first time, l could not
have been more surprised, the city
could not have been more unfamiliar
to me. Born and brought up in this
city, and for many years an active
operator in real estate here, 1 knew
every corner of the city, but did not
know it as it is now. The immense
number and the great magniticence of
buildings that have gone up every
J where are astonishing, and the growth
OF shade trees has changed the face of
the city from boundary to boundary.
When left here in 1850 these trees
were only little sprigs with no shade
and no beauty, but now most of them
are tull grown, and one can drive for
miles over the smooth asphalt pave.
ments of one street after another, aud
looking tsraight before him, sec moth
ing but rows OF green trees OH either
side running away into the sky ia the
liz h ys.A.n h..,
the intervention Of II grand monument
place in one of the beautiful circles
where the avenues and streets inter-
sect. Washington, l have no hesitation
in saying, is now the best shaded aud
the most beautiful city in america. l
believe it is the most beautiful city in
the world. If 1 had my own way, if
the people of the District had stood by
me at that time, the city would have
been to-day even better than it is, and
instead of debt of $20,000,0 900 there
would not have been a cent of money
due by the District for all the improve
ments. But there was lot of old
fogics and sneaks and sharpers, and a
lot of marplots, a number of fellows
who grumbled and growled, and raised
the cry of corruption and robbery, in
order that they might get in to steal :;
Il lot of confounded old sneaks and
good-for>nothings who made the work
more expensive than it would have
been, ruined the credit of the District,
and sunk the people in an enormous
debt, which we would have avoided.
When we decided 10 improve the city
the first thing we did was to formu,
late Il claim against the United States
Government for $l3,OOO,OOO. We
showed that while the United States
Government owned more than one
half the property it had only contribu-
ted s., ,OO0, 900, since the establishment
of the seat of government towards the
expenses of governing the District,
while the residents had paid s15 ,O00, 600.
We insisted that the United States
government had right to pay out
that $13, 900, 900 OF difference. Congress
would have allowed it Grant would
have favored it; for there was never
II man more anxious TO see WASH
ington improved than Grant WAS. He
supported every proposition ! made in
that direction, with cordiality, aye,
with enthusiasm. Many time he
has come out with me at 6 O'Clock in
the morning and driven all over the
city to view the work in progress
and see what was going on and en-
courage it.